The Child Of The Hearth
by FireSplit
Summary: A Half-blood’s life is never simple. Some have it easier in life and others have a life filled with tragedy and sadness... One such demigod finds himself living in the woods for a long time, only to make contact with a group of girls that are hunting, and led by a mysterious girl with silver eyes... and what role will they both play? (In Progress)
1. A Tragic Beginning

**Chapter 1**

**A Tragic Beginning**

Somewhere deep in the woods was a man running away as fast as his feet could carry him. Behind him he had realized were the monsters that his lover, the woman he loved dearly, had told him details of. He didn't know exactly how long he had been running from them, and he had almost forgotten that he was carrying his little four year old son in his arms, who was now looking distressed and was crying.

He knew why those things were here, he knew their purpose was to destroy his son, and he wasn't going to let of beasts anywhere near his child, his sweet and innocent Per- he was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard that growl again. It wouldn't be long before they caught up with him so he had to think quickly. He silently prayed to _her_ and hoped that she would hear him.

He clutched his son that was wrapped in a vibrant orange blanket closer and continued running until he came upon... a small fire in the middle of the woods? _"The fire isn't spreading, or burning anything else?" _he thought before realizing _she _had listened and answered his prayer.

Running toward the fire he tripped slightly, a branch from a tree thumping his son on the head, but in the urgency of the moment he didn't notice. He looked at the baby in his arms, so beautiful, those sunfire eyes that stared back at him… he reached into his pocket and took a pen out, the pen that _she _had given him, and placed it in the little pocket of his son's pants.

* * *

**Flashback- 3rd person pov **

"What's this that you're giving me my love?" said the man. "A gift, from me to you, so you stay safe and because I love you" the woman said. "Aww Hessy, just for me? You shouldn't have, although I take it this isn't just a regular _ballpoint pen_ is it?"

The woman merely nodded and smiled "Yes Destin, you're correct, now try uncapping the pen to see what happens". At this he hesitated. "It's not gonna blow me up is it?" She slapped his arm playfully and he feigned being hurt "of course not" she said rolling her eyes "I love you as you are and it'd be quite difficult to do so if you were in pieces" he uncapped the pen and watched as it turned into a beautiful 3 foot long shimmering bronze sword with a double edged blade with a leather-wrapped grip and a flat hilt with gold studs.

"Heh you really do know how to impress don't you Hessy? I love it!" he said giving her the lopsided smile he knew she loved. She got closer, putting her arms behind his neck as he put his hands on her hips and gave him a long sweet kiss on the lips before pulling away gently.

"Yes I do Destin, and I'm glad you like it". He looked down at her belly which now had a very large baby bump. "I can't wait until he's born Hessy, you're going to be a beautiful mom" she kissed him "and you are going to be a wonderful dad" she said. "Maybe one day I'll pass on my little sword I have here to him". He said returning the kiss. "Maybe" she said

**Flashback end  
**

Destin's eyes were watery and he let out a mix of a sob and a laugh at the memory. He looked back up to his son's face and kissed his son's forehead.

"Be safe Perseus, I love you" he said to his son.

It pained him knowing that this was his final goodbye to his little boy, and that he may never get to see _her_ dazzling face again. He placed his son in the fire and watched as it slowly covered him like a shield until he couldn't see him anymore and then the fire disappeared, taking his son with it.

He then turned and immediately saw those those red eyes of the hellhounds that had been following him and that he had been trying to avoid for so long a few feet away from him. "No child for _you_" he spat, looking at the hellhounds before he smiling and watching as they leapt towards him, and a certain goddess watched on, crying profusely before averting her gaze, unable to do anything.

It hurt her even more knowing that she would only be able to care for him for a very minute amount of time before having to leave Perseus soon since the other gods, would likely misunderstand Perseus and what he may mean for the future and some might even be afraid of him. "Be safe Perseus, I love you" he said. Her thoughts then shifted back to Destin. "I'll miss you my love" she said before dissolving the shield that had protected her little Perseus and returning him not far from the spot in the woods he was previously at, now that the danger had passed...


	2. The Silver Eyed Girl

**A/N- Important**

**1.) Percy is 4 when he is left to live in the woods/forest/wilderness by himself.**

**2.) Percy is referred to as "Perseus" for now, for a reason**

**3.) Percy has been away for a long time (this will play a later roll)**

**4.) Characters and their personalities will be as close as possible to canon**

**5.) Percy isn't yet aware of his godly parentage**

**This chapter will be slightly long but don't worry, It's going to be interesting ;)**

**(All rights/ownership of PJO and it's characters belong to Rick Riordan)**

**(Made a few small/minimal changes to a few words)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**The Silver Eyed Girl**

**Percy-3rd Person Pov**

Percy vaguely remembered waking up and having absolutely no idea where he was and how he he got there. He was sitting down against a tree and attempted to get up only to find his legs felt weak and opted to just keep sitting down. He looked up and found that he was rather deep into a forest but he could still see parts of the sky and the sun looked like it had recently risen. He tried to remember how he got to where he was but couldn't come up with anything and very quickly realized that he didn't know anything.

He didn't even know his own name, and yet…

There was one thing he remembered though, a voice, saying six words

_"Be safe Perseus, I love you"_

He had no idea where those words came from

He could've spent all day trying to figure it out but had his confusion interrupted by his stomach, which was making plenty of noise. He got up successfully this time and began to walk and tried to find something to eat.

Time passed swiftly and still he hadn't found anything that could be could be food and the sun was already starting to fade from the sky. A few more hours later, he managed to collect a small amount of berries, holding the hem of his shirt up so he could use it as a little sack and with his other hand he held a few small fruits that he was able to reach.

He ate at full tilt, not realizing how hungry he had actually been before reminding himself, that he'd have to scavenge for more food the next day. Completely exhausted, he began his attempt to find sticks and small pieces of wood he could use as fuel for a fire, and managed to get a fair amount, which he put into a pile.

_"How do I make fire?"_ he thought

He tried using sticks, he tried using rocks, he even considered using the pen he found in his pocket on a rock to try and get a spark but figured that would just be crazy. He tried everything he could come up with but everything ended in failure and to make things worse, nightfall had already set in a while ago and a feeling of defeat set over him, so he moved, slumped back against a tree and began crying into his hands.

Sleeping would be awful during the night without a fire. He stopped his weeping and wiped his tears. Looking at the wood pile, he kicked it in frustration. He wiped his eyes again but when he looked at the pile again he saw that where his foot had impacted, there was a tiny flame. His eyes widened, and he jumped up, readily fanning the flame with excitement, and added more to the fire before settling back and looking at the beautiful fire before him. That was the day he discovered he could generate and control fire, and he began to practice with it

**Time skip 9 years later**

Perseus had first awoken lost and unsure of what to do. Now, he had become a true lone wolf, and veteran at surviving. After so long, his senses had become sharpened and he had become incredibly aware of his surroundings. He had grown so attached to the wilderness, that he didn't want to look for a way out or try to leave. After about the first year, he'd been attacked by a weird beast, one with _a single eye_, and his small knives of bone did no more than annoy the creature. He had grabbed his pen and for some reason felt inclined to uncap it, so he did and had been very surprised to find that it expanded into a stunning sword.

When the monster ran towards him he had panicked and thrust his sword at it, striking it in the eye but got propelled back by the monster, and into his fire pit. When he recovered from his landing he saw the creature stumble back before turning into strange gold dust. He had gotten a nasty gash on his hand but noticed it was quickly closing before realizing he was still in the fire, yet he wasn't burned and neither were his clothes. He hopped out of the fire, but as soon as he did he felt pain in his hand and noticed that his hand had stopped healing. Putting his hand back in the fire he saw the gash quickly close, heal, scar, and fade away. That time he learned that fire could heal him.

The need to be healed by fire became almost unnecessary though, as throughout the years Perseus had become a master at hunting and his agility had reached near inhuman levels, so he rarely got hurt and any injury he got was often a minor scrape. He had 2 weapons that he used and took with him wherever he went. His _'Xiphos'_ (sword) which was in the form of a pen with text in ancient Greek on the side that that read_ "εστία"_ which he knew meant _"Hearth"_. When the pen was activated, on both sides of the blade was the image of a fire engraved into the metal. He loved the weapon because of it's perfect balance and looks, though he noticed that the weird beasts seemed to be affected by his sword only, as any other weapon would simply cause minor damage or pass through it.

His second weapon was his bow that he had made himself. It had taken him several days but he had managed to build it along with some arrows and over time he improved his aim to almost flawless and his accuracy to near perfection. If he made a shot the arrow would find it's mark no matter the strength of the wind, the abundance or lack of light, or if he was moving, his target would not be spared.

Learning to make clothes however had arguably been far more difficult than mastering using his sword or bow. At first his first version of "clothing" had been nothing more than animal hides crudely put together, but given time he learned little by little to sow by using his sword to sharpen a stick to a needle and using that to stitch together hides, and other materials to make some clothes that actually covered him. During summer he almost never wore anything up top, as it would become sweaty and uncomfortable, and after a few years his body had adjusted to the cold, making the need to wear clothes other than pants to cover himself in the winter an option.

Tree climbing had also become one of his favorite things to do, as it gave him a delightful view of the wilderness below, seeing almost everything, and allowed him to get fruit that was normally out of reach while giving him a perfect vantage point when he was hunting. All that came to a benefit though, as exploring for hours on end, building, climbing and more, his body had become toned and his muscles defined all over. He was truly one with nature

Currently he was trekking through the wilderness and encountered a small black dog which had a leg pinned under a boulder. When he approached it, it whimpered and tried to back away but couldn't. He slowly made his way up to it and began petting it and comforting it. With considerable effort he managed to moved the boulder long enough for the dog to remove it's leg. She stopped whimpering and began to lick his hand and face, which made him smile. He finally had a friend. They both grew attached to each other, and wherever he went, she followed him. He made a mental note to name her Mrs. O'Leary.

**Time skip- 1 year later**

Perseus was sitting by one of his fireplaces as he usually did. He felt so at home when he was next to the fire, never wanting to leave it. He was staring at the fire, about to stand when he sensed something. He tensed and shot his arm up to his side and caught something in his hand,_ an arrow?_

He made a grunting noise and turned around to see a girl with a silver jacket over a white shirt, silver camouflage pants and black combat boots. She looked surprised at him and he narrowed his eyes at her, before he heard movement and a group of other girls with the same outfit suddenly rushed out of the woods from behind the first girl. She shot another arrow at him and he smashed his hands together, barely stopping the arrow before it struck him in the chest. The other girls followed suit and fired a small group of arrows at him. With impressive speed he reached for his pen, uncapped it and sliced a few arrows out of the air, barely dodging two others and getting his arms and legs grazed by a few more. He made a grunting almost growling noise as he got into a defensive stance.

They all stared at him in confusion and Perseus glared back but just as quickly, the girls began to ready their bows again and likely would have fired at him again, when all of a sudden a tall girl with copper colored skin, dark brown eyes and dark brown hair with a silver circlet braided into it, emerged from behind them all with a curious expression and her hand raised to which the girls withheld their arrows. Perseus assumed that she was their leader.

She walked forward and looked at him before speaking "Who art thou _boy_" Perseus cocked his head to the side in confusion, not understanding the gibberish the girl had just said. "Well? is thy tongue not working _boy_?" Perseus scratched the back of his head, before turning and carving a something into the tree next to him. The group of girls all raised their bows but still obeyed the girl's order to not fire. "You ignore me?" the girl asked only to receive no response.

When Perseus finished there was a word in the tree that was in Ancient Greek reading _"__τι? Δεν καταλαβαίνω__"_—(What? I don't understand).

Now it was her turn to be confused. She looked from the tree back to the _boy_ in front of her. Suddenly an idea came to her mind, and she spoke in Ancient Greek _"Έχετε να καταλάβω έτσι?"_ (Do you understand me like this?).

The boy blinked a few times before nodding his head quickly and putting on a weak smile. He went back to writing in the tree _"Who are you"_ he asked.

_"We are hunters, and I am... __Zoë. Who are you boy?"_

_"Perseus... I think that is my name"_ he said

He pointed to his throat and shook his head. The dark haired girl was confused _"Why not use thy voice...Perseus?" _Zoë was suspicious of the boy now, yet he made no threatening moves, so she refrained from turning him into a pincushion. She glanced at his face and the strange color of his eyes caught her attention.

Perseus shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth as if to talk, only for wheezing and grunting sounds to come out, then he shrugged again.

_"Thou cannot speak? Is thy voice lost?"_

He nodded his head and hung it down in shame and wrote in the dirt with his sword _"I think I lost it after a few years"_

Some of the hunters were confused and spoke quietly among themselves before Zoë got their attention and explained that boy seemed to understand only Ancient Greek and had somehow, lost his ability to speak. Some of them nodded as they were Demigods and knew a little Ancient Greek.

Perseus backed up and wrote "_I guess I'll leave__, I don't want to be a nuisance". _He started walking away, grabbing the few possessions he had and placing them in a sack he had made, but stopped when he heard Zoë speak. _"Wait boy" _He turned and saw her pull a small square of something from her pocket She very reluctantly tossed it into his hands. _"Eat this, I believe it will help thee". _He hesitantly put the square of 'food' into his mouth and chewed before starting to swallow. He fell to the ground grabbing his throat. "ECCHHH ACCHHH" came from his as he seemingly choked. "τι στο διάολο ήταν αυτό!?" he croaked out weakly before his eyes widened and he began crying in happiness. Some of the girls sneered and others snickered quietly. _"You are welcome boy, a__nd to answer thy question, what thee just ate is called 'ambrosia'._

_"Σας ευχαριστώ" _he said

"_Again, you are welcome boy"._He stood up and was again going to leave but Zoë gestured to him. "Why do you offer your kindness to that _boy _Zoë?! He doesn't deserve it!" yelled one girl. "He is just like the others repulsive _males_ and will turn out just like them, do not trust him". Zoë looked at the girl that had spoken and sighed. "Thou are right, he is a _male _and I do not trust him as such, but our _Mistress_ will be interested in meeting him".

"Zoë you cannot possibly be-"

"Hush thyself Amanda, there is much you do not know, she will wish to speak with him and we shall bring him to our camp however, should he act out, I shall castrate him myself" the girl and the other hunters grumbled but nodded their heads slowly. Zoë turned back to Perseus with a conflicted look on her face before sighing again.

_"You will come with us to our camp Perseus... it is time for you to meet Lady Artemis"._

* * *

The journey to the hunter's camp had been completely silent and uneventful. Perseus noticed during the trip to the 'camp' that Zoë had mentioned, almost all of the hunters were either ignoring him, or shooting him distasteful and irritated looks.

They arrived at a small clearing with a handful of large tents all stationed around a sizable fireplace which seemed to be the center of the entire camp. Upon arriving, Zoë gestured for all of the hunters/girls to go to their different tents and again, they were all hesitant to leave but Zoë glared at them which seemed to convince them to go.

Zoë grabbed Perseus by the wrist and shoved him forward in the direction of a tent that seemed to somewhat larger than the others. As he approached it with Zoë behind him he got a bad feeling. He didn't know what it was but he felt a presence, he felt power coming from the _inside _of the tent, like an aura, which got stronger the closer he got. When they were both at the entrance Zoë entered first, before coming back out shortly after with a cranky look and signaling for to come in, which he did.

When he entered he saw a girl that seemed rather young, who had free flowing medium length auburn hair, along with glimmering silver eyes and was dressed in the same attire the other hunter girls had. Even though he didn't feel attracted to her in any way, he couldn't deny that she looked nice. Suddenly he felt nervous and stepped back swiftly, realizing that this mysterious girl was the source of what he had felt outside. He tripped however, when he backed up and fell on his butt onto one of many small pillow like cushions along the floor.

Zoë grabbed both sides of her head and huffed before stepping forward and greeting the silver eyed girl, after which they began a conversation, during which Zoë pointed at him many times. Throughout the entire exchange, the mysterious girl listened in silence, nodding occasionally and gesturing for Zoë to continue. Perseus awkwardly sat there, looking back and forth between Zoë and the other girl, unsure what to think of the situation he was in. He looked around and took a short time to admire the way the tent was decorated and set up.

In the center of the tent was a tiny fire pit with a small fire in it. There was a shield and some swords on one wall, accompanied by a deer head with antlers and other minor objects. On the side of the tent behind him was a small table with some small plates of food with some fruit and some goblets. On the wall in front of him which was behind the strange girl was a rack that held some bows in the middle and had 3 quivers that held arrows, next to them.

_"Boy, pay attention when someone speaks to thee!"_ Zoë snapped, causing Perseus to focus his attention back to her. The silver eyed girl put a hand on Zoë's shoulder and a silent understanding passed through them. She looked from Zoë to Perseus and walked toward him, causing him to nervously flinch and pull out his bow that was on his back. She looked at him with her eyebrows knit and a small frown on her face. She waved her hand and his bow flew out of his hands, resulting in a very startled Perseus. _"I will not hurt you, let me help you". _She sat down in front of him and pointed to his throat. _"__υπόσχεση?" _(promise?) he asked to which she nodded. She leaned froward and gently put her hands on his throat which glowed faintly for a moment before she retracted her hands.

She looked him in the eyes and said "speak".

He said the first thing that came to his mind "what did you do to me?". She smiled and spoke again "Made it easier for you to communicate". "Thanks?, but who are you?". "I am Artemis, Goddess of the hunt and moon among other things. Forgive my hunters if they are gruff, it is very rare that we have boys in our camp and they have seen so many young maidens go _astray". _"Go astray?" he asked. "Yes, grow up, become smitten with boys, become silly, preoccupied, insecure and forget themselves". "Now, I would like to hear your story Perseus, from the beginning". He nodded his head, she helped him, the least he could do was tell her about himself.

* * *

It took a while but he recounted everything from the time he woke up to the present. He left out the part where he remembered a voice say _"Be safe Perseus, I love you"_. He felt those words were important and didn't feel comfortable telling Artemis and Zoë. "That is quite interesting Perseus. It is also remarkable that you have survived this long on your own without.. anyone else". She had paused slightly before saying that last part. He had a feeling she might know something but decided it wasn't important at the moment. "My Lady, what shall we do with him now?". Artemis took a moment to consider the question. "We may be able to teach him good in the long run... Go and gather the rest of the hunt Zoë, we will discuss this with the rest of the hunt".

* * *

When all was said and done the hunters were all gathered outside sitting on logs around the central fireplace with Perseus to the left of Artemis and Zoë to her right. Again, the hunters were looking disapprovingly at him. Artemis stood up and cleared her throat. "Hunters! this is Perseus, he was found surviving alone in the wilderness, and contrary to what you may believe, he is of importance. He is not to be harmed in any way and I trust he will do nothing foolish". Perseus felt uncomfortable with the all the hunter's attention on him and shifted in his seat. "What will we do with this boy?". asked another hunter. "We will take him to Camp. Regardless of the time he survived alone, I fear it will not be safe for much longer and he must speak with Chiron". Perseus looked up to Artemis confused. "Art- Lady Artemis, where will you be taking me and do I have to go?" he pouted.

"A place for demi-gods like you Perseus and yes, you must come with us".

"We will be taking you to Camp Half-Blood".

* * *

**This was a decently long chapter and it was really fun to write it. I'm happy to say I have a good idea of how I want this story to go/play out in the long run. I'm unsure of how far this story will go, but as it goes on we will see.**

**Leave a review or comment of what you think if you don't mind, it's very much appreciated ;) Until next time in the next chapter my peeps ****( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**(A/N-Just tried to fix a few ****problems/words, and also have an idea for Perseus)**

**-FireSplit**


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